Contents

Synopsis

In order to rescue Danny, Miles knows he and the gang will need help. Thus, the search begins for Nora, a rebel fighter battling against the Monroe Militia. Meanwhile, Aaron and Maggie confide in each other, and Danny lays witness to what Captain Tom Neville is capable of.

Plot Summary

2012

The week after the blackout, the Matheson family sets off from home with a red wagon full of supplies, and Rachel Matheson makes Charlie promise that she will always protect her younger brother Danny and will never let go of his hand, foreshadowing Charlie's current mission to rescue him. Later, while Ben Matheson is getting his work from the University of Chicago, a strange, starving man threatens to break little Charlie's neck if the family doesn't relinquish their food. Ben is reluctant to shoot the man, but Rachel does it without hesitation.

2027

Train Yard

In an old rail yard at the onset of their quest to rescue Danny, Miles is attacked by a bounty hunter. There is a large finder's reward for bringing him back to Bass Monroe alive, but Miles easily defeats him in combat. However, he is prevented from finishing the job by Charlie, who doesn't condone killing in cold blood. So, they lock the bounty hunter in a boxcar.

Pontiac, Illinois

Miles, Charlie, Aaron, and Maggie arrive in the market town of Pontiac, Illinois, where a local gambling hall is Miles' best hope of finding Nora, the rebel fighter who could be a great asset to their cause because "she's really good at blowing stuff up." Before they can find her, the bounty hunter returns with more Monroe Militia soldiers, and lets the rest of the crew live in exchange for taking Miles. Miles escapes, and this time, he finishes the job and kills the bounty hunter, but not before getting the information he needs: Nora is a prisoner in a work camp a few miles south.

After that, Miles ditches the team because they are holding him back. He tells them to meet him in Lowell, Indiana in two weeks and heads off into the woods alone to find Nora. When Aaron and Maggie wake up in the morning, Charlie has also disappeared, leaving a note saying that she has decided to follow Miles.

On their own, Aaron shows Maggie the switch pendant that was given to him by Ben Matheson, and the pair have plenty of time to discuss matters as they follow Ben's instructions, making their way to the house of Grace Beaumont.

It seems that most of the population thinks the blackout was cause by a natural phenomenon, but Aaron points out that the blackout violated the laws of physics, which means that the event was man-made, and perhaps deliberate.

Maggie explains why she still has an iPhone: she has been stranded in America since the blackout, and inside the iPhone are the only pictures of her kids that she has, and she may never see them again.

On her way to catch up with Miles, Charlie realizes that she and her uncle are being tracked by Nate Walker. She fakes an ankle injury after jumping off a high wall, tricking the militia man into coming to her aid, and then she handcuffs him to a metal pole. She leaves him behind, but not before learning that Nate is not his real name, and he is just following orders, trying to capture Miles.

Once Charlie catches up with Miles in the woods, she convinces him to let her tag along, because protecting her younger brother Danny was always her responsibility, and she wants to help.

The Monroe Militia

With Danny back in custody with Captain Tom Neville and the Monroe Militia, they begin making their way back to base. On the way, they hear a gunshot, and follow the noise to a house, where they find a freshly killed buck in the yard. Neville confronts the owner of the house and informs him possessing a firearm in the Monroe Republic is illegal and punishable by death, according to the "Baltimore Act". The man gives up his shotgun, but when soldiers try to search his house, he shoots Fletcher, and is in turn shot by Neville. They find an American flag in his house, which they burn, identifying him as a rebel, or resistance fighter.

Later, Fletcher drinks a poison given to him by Neville that makes his death come quickly and painless. The militia troop gives him a proper Christian burial, but when Danny snickers, Neville asks him to express himself honestly, because he is only working for the militia to keep order and prevent anarchy. Danny says he thinks Neville's in the militia because he is a murderer and a psychopath, and subsequently, Neville chokes him out.

Militia Camp, Fort Chatsworth

They come upon the work camp of slaves/prisoners, who are physically pulling a helicopter on a sled through the woods, to be taken to Bass Monroe. Miles sees that Nora is one of the working prisoners, and they rescue her later that night while everyone is sleeping. Surprisingly, Nora is reluctant to be rescued. It turns out she got arrested on purpose so she could be detained in the work camp and make an attempt at stealing the warden's rare and highly-valued sniper rifle. Miles tells her that they need her help rescuing Danny from the militia, and she owes him one, but she only agrees to help if Miles and Charlie help her steal the weapon. Charlie thinks they should be doing it anyway to free the innocent people who are working as slaves.

In the morning, Nora makes a crude miniature gun that she puts in Charlie's sleeve. Charlie reveals herself to the work camp and pretends to be a girl lost in the woods, then shoots the warden. This moment coincides with the aforementioned flashback of Rachel Matheson shooting the starved man. After Charlie kills the warden, Nora and Miles come out of the woods and defeat the rest of the guards. Charlie struggles with one remaining guard, then shoots him with the assault rifle. The slaves are freed and we learn from the American flag tattoo on her back that Nora has become an official member of the resistance, an act of defiance that could get her killed.

Grant Park, Illinois

Grace, while using her computer, hears a knock on the door. A man chases her up the stairs as she rushes back to her computer to type, "Randall is here". This mysterious Randall, like Grace, also has a pendant, and he uses it to power a cattle prod, with which he threatens Grace.

It turns out that Rachel Matheson is still alive, and has been held captive by Bass Monroe on account of her potential knowledge of the blackout via her late husband. It seems that she is being treated well, in a fine mansion with luxuries such as wine and ice, but then Bass tells her that her husband is dead, and that her son Danny is being held captive by the militia. If she ever wants to see her son again, she will tell Bass everything she knows. Rachel attempts to stab Bass with her pen, but he easily detains her.